Trudy s Homemade Dog Food The Complete Formulas Eduardo Mari Trudy s Homemade Inc www.trudyshomemade.com
Table of Contents The Pet Food Scare Is Not Over 3 Trudy s Homemade Dog Food 9 Trudy s Transformation 11 Nutrition and Choice 17 The Trudy s Homemade Way 20 Everything You Will Need 23 Building a Complete and Balanced Dog Food 29 Part 1: Micronutrients 30 Part 2: Vegetable Blend 38 Part 3: Proteins and Fats 43 Putting It All Together 48 Real Food is the Best Food 53 How Much to Feed 58 Transitioning Your Dog 59 Toxic Foods to Avoid 60 Appendix 61 Trudy s Homemade, Trudy s Homemade Dog Food, Trudy s Homemade Dog Food Formulas, Trudy s Homemade Beef with Broccoli Recipe and Trudy s Homemade Chicken and Turkey Recipe are all trademarks of Trudy s Homemade Inc. Copyright 2009 by Eduardo Mari, Trudy s Homemade Inc. All rights reserved. Photography Eduardo Mari
The Pet Food Scare Is Not Over!, page 3 The Pet Food Scare Is Not Over! In 2007 the largest pet food recall in history was conducted due to the discovery of melamine in dog, cat and fish foods. Thousands of dogs and cats were poisoned and died. Reports indicate that the melamine was purposefully added to wheat gluten as a cheap alternative to protein. Melamine has no nutritional value but its high nitrogen content registers as if it were protein in laboratory testing. The adding of melamine to dog foods is illegal and caused the recall of ninety different brands of pet foods produced by Menu Foods. There are also regular and legal practices in the commercial dog food industry that are putting our dog s lives in danger. The pet food scare is not over and it did not begin with the recall of 2007. The Menu Foods recall opened our eyes to many problems in the pet food industry, and these problems run much deeper than imported melamine. There is a long history of including toxic ingredients in dog food. The American Association of Feed Control Officials, AAFCO, does not allow melamine to be added to dog food. Melamine is not a GRAS or generally recognized as safe ingredient. Ingredients such as peanut shells, hydrolyzed poultry feathers and chromium tanned unfinished leather trimmings are generally recognized as safe. It is common for the waste from food production and from other industries to be repurposed into dog food. It was going on before the melamine scare and continues today. The everyday practices of the commercial dog food industry are enough to cause alarm even without recalls. The meats that are commonly used to make dog food are not safe for your dog to eat. 3
Nutrition and Choice, page 17 Nutrition and Choice There are two important reasons to be cooking your dog s food. The first one is nutrition. There is no better nutrition than from a diet consisting of fresh whole foods without chemicals. The second important reason to cook is because you will get to choose each of those ingredients to best meet your dog s nutritional needs. Great nutrition can be achieved cooking at home with ingredients that are mostly available at the supermarket where you already shop. What kind of nutrition can you get for 37 cents a day, as advertised by Hill s Science Diet, less than the cost of an apple? To give you an idea look at the first three ingredients of Science Diet Adult Active Dry. 1. Corn: Corn is the first ingredient in so many pet foods because it is cheap and the commercial pet food industry wants to sell you the cheapest ingredients for the biggest profits. 2. Chicken By-Product Meal: This could not be any further from the fresh, whole, chicken meat that is pictured on the bags of so many commercial pet foods. AAFCO is supposed to be looking out for misleading packaging. When was the last time you found a chicken breast in a bag of kibble? 3. Animal Fat: Animal fat can come from a variety of different animals of unknown origin mixed together. This fat comes from rendering plants. The FDA study on pentobarbital found that samples of dog food with Animal Fat listed on the label had higher levels of pentobarbital in them. 17
Building a Complete and Balanced Dog Food, page 29 Building a Complete and Balanced Dog Food The process of making a batch of Trudy s Homemade Dog Food is broken down into three parts; proteins, vegetables and micronutrients. Stay organized in order to achieve the best results, facilitate cooling and disperse nutrients evenly through out the batch. I have made thousands of pounds of Trudy s Homemade Dog Food and each time tried to improve on the process. Now I am passing that experience to you. I found that it is helpful to work in three stages. As you prepare these formulas at home you will also find ways to adjust the process to fit your needs, equipment and space. Trudy s Homemade Dog Food is not a stew or a mush that is all cooked in one big pot. For the best nutrition it is important to look at each ingredient individually. In this way each ingredient is cooked and processed for maximum nutritional benefit of the formula. The complete food is built from these individually prepared components. Cooking and processing ingredients individually preserve their integrity and nutritional value. Also, moisture and fat are released during the cooking process. We want to control these elements in the food and the only way to do that, with any accuracy, is to cook each ingredient separately. Systematically cooking, processing and weighing each ingredient individually will assure that we have a consistent and reproducible recipe every time. Instead of starting with the meat which is the largest part of the recipe, we are going to start with the smallest part, the micronutrients then move on to the vegetables and lastly the proteins and assembly. 29
Part 2: Vegetable Blend, page 39 Green Beans Depending on your location and the season, fresh green beans are sometimes more economical than frozen. It is a little more work to pick off the stems and bulkier to cook but not too bad. Fresh or frozen, steam the green beans until tender. Drain to a colander and rinse with cold water for quick cooling. Process the green beans in the food processor. Refrigerate. Broccoli Fresh broccoli is usually more expensive than frozen but easy enough to chop up and steam. So, if you come across a good deal, go for it. Fresh or frozen, steam the chopped broccoli until tender. Drain to a colander and rinse with cold water for quick cooling. Processes the chopped broccoli in the food processor on pulse, periodically scrape down the sides of the processor with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate. 39
Putting It All Together, page 49 Liver Mixture The liver mixture is the same for both recipes except for the type of liver that is being used. The ingredients listed here are for 10 lbs of Trudy s Homemade Dog Food. 10 oz Beef Liver or Chicken Liver 5 oz Apples and/or Pears 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled 5 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil 5 Teaspoons Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Combine all the ingredients listed in the food processor until smooth, scraping the side of the food processor with a rubber spatula as needed. Transfer processed liver to a bowl and set aside. Processing the livers with the liquid ingredients will make a smooth paste and help distribute the smaller nutrients throughout the recipe. 49
Real Food is the Best Food, page 54 Apples and Pears Apples and pears are rich in vitamins A, B, and C, calcium, fiber and pectin. Pectin binds glucose to help regulate insulin and help prevent health problems such as heart disease and colon ailments. Apple Cider Vinegar, Raw and Unfiltered Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar helps to maintain proper PH balance in the body. It contains minerals, aids calcium uptake in young animals, and helps detoxify the blood. Brewer s Yeast Brewer s yeast is a good source of biotin, zinc, and other B vitamins. It also is reported to help control fleas Broccoli Broccoli is a food rich in vitamins A, C and E, folic acid, calcium, zinc and is full of antioxidants. Carrots Carrots are high in beta-carotene, a precursor of Vitamin A, which aids in vision, and a healthy immune system. They are also high in vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. 54
Appendix, page 66 Internet Resources www.trudyshomemade.com Check Trudy s Homemade for updates and email support http://www.fda.gov/aboutfda/centersoffices/cvm/cvmfoiaelectr onicreadingroom/ucm129131.htm FDA report on pentobarbital http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/fmia/index.asp Federal Meat Inspection Act http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/business/worldbusiness/30f ood.html?_r=2&oref=slogin New York Times Article on Melamine www.usda.com Large database of food nutrients www.fda.com Food and Drug Administration list, recalled pet foods www.aafco.org www.mountainroseherbs.com For kelp and alfalfa powder www.lifeextensions.com Large selection of vitamins and minerals http://www.nycacc.org/adopt.htm Animal Care and Control of New York City 66